Voices from the Street: Giving Young Mothers a Second Chance

Meet Yetunde, a 19-year-old mother who lives in a motor park in Lagos. She once dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Today, she sells stachet water, boiled eggs just to feed herself and her baby. Yetunde is not alone. Many young women like her were forced onto the streets after losing a parent, escaping abuse, or becoming pregnant too young. They earn barely enough to survive, and their children remain out of school caught in the same cycle of poverty. At LeadUp Foundation, we met over 20 such young mothers during a street-based survey. Their stories broke our hearts and moved us to act. From this group, we selected three courageous young mothers for immediate support under a new pilot project called LeadUp ReStart. Through this initiative, we are helping them find safe shelter, re-enroll in education or vocational training, and gain access to digital and financial literacy tools. Their lives may have taken a detour, but their dreams are still alive. This is more than a project. It’s a promise: to help every young mother write her next chapter with dignity, hope, and a chance to thrive.